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Important Table Saw Accessories

Table saws are known to most woodworkers as the heart of any wood shop. The table saw, also known as a saw bench, is built with a circular blade that is mounted on an arbor, and runs on an electric motor. The blade cuts through wood easily at a high speed and makes the woodworker’s tasks very easy. Because of their versatility, these heavily used machines have different accessories in the market which make specialized tasks even easier and more efficient. Let us have a look at the different kinds of table saw accessories, and learn how to buy the right one.

Infeed and outfeed tables: These can help make ripping on longboards and other sheet materials safe, easy, and efficient

Feather boards: A feather board retains the timber from the rip fence and may either have one or many springs that are held in place by springs, higher power magnets, or growth pubs.

Rip fence: This fence guides the workpiece when cutting. The distance between the blade and the fence can also be adjusted to the area where you want to make the cut. Most saws already have a rip fence system; however, certain table saws are sold without the fence to enable the buyer to purchase the fence according to his needs.

Inserts: A table saw uses inserts to help prevent tear out by giving support for the wood fibers which in turn create a clean cut.

Splitter: Also known as a riving knife, this vertical projection can be found behind the saw blade and helps in preventing kickback by stopping the material being cut from being rotated. Some splitters may even incorporate a mechanism known as pawls, which has teeth biting on the wood to prevent kickback. Although many find the splitter to be among the unnecessary table saw accessories, operating a saw without it is very dangerous and can cause serious injury or even death, regardless of experience.

Hold down. A table saw’s circular blade can pick up a piece of wood if it wasn’t held down. Hold downs do this task and are like vertical versions of feather boards. These are attached to a fence with magnets using a set of magnets or sturdy clamps. Other kinds of utilize a pair of wheels that use a spring-loaded mechanism to assist push a workpiece when it’s being guided beyond the blade.

These are just among the useful accessories for a table saw. Another thing to consider purchasing is a table saw fence. This system actually gives the user even more protection as it covers the saw’s sharp blade as it spins at a high rate. The fenabout helps woodworkers of all experience levels work without worrying on getting injured. Although some table saws don’t originally have a pre-built fence system, this could always be purchased online with ease and have it installed to your machine.

While getting all these accessories could significantly help in improving the user’s safety and the overall woodworking experience, let us not forget to purchase these items after doing adequate research.